Take a Chance
by minor-league-fangirl
Summary: Dean and his friends are at a diner, hanging out. Dean's indecisive and confused, which explodes when provoked. Now, it's a decision of whether or not to ignore what happened.


Dean Winchester was known as a ladies' man extraordinaire by his friends and schoolmates. So the fact that he secretly harbored a massive crush on his best friend was quite the secret indeed. As Dean, Castiel, Sam, Ash, and Gabriel walked into the local burger joint for late dinner one Thursday night, Dean made sure to grab the seat next to Castiel. They were best friends, perfectly natural. Sam and Ash sat across while Gabriel pulled up to the end and threw his feet onto the booth next to Dean, forcing Dean to scoot over until he and Castiel were squished together. Tipping his chair dangerously back, Gabriel began to regale his groaning audience with his latest tale of mischief and debauchery. Dean, however, wasn't paying attention. Although he laughed in the right places, shoved the comedian's shoulder, rolled his eyes as the story began to stretch, his eyes were studying Castiel as casually often as possible. He had constant crinkles in his forehead from worry, confusion, or laughter. His blue doe-eyes, innocent and questioning, were surrounded by impossibly soft black lashes. He wanted to reach up and touch his cheek, covered in stubble that belonged on anyone but a boy so innocent, making him look rugged and daring. He didn't look at his lips. He had to function normally and all he could do if he glanced at Cas' lips was wish to kiss him, ignore everyone except Castiel, ignore everything he appeared to be. But he wouldn't. It was just a crush, just high school. So he kept his mouth shut and turned on the charm around girls who flocked.

Gabriel leaped from his chair, using exaggerated arm flourishes to finish his grand account. Finally, he ended and offered a gracious smile to the applause awarded. A few of Gabriel's older friends were passing by and stopped to chat. They went to the local community college and asked about the high school, teachers, younger mischief makers. Eventually, Gabriel said, "You guys know Ash, right?"

"Yeah, he came to Dick's party with you."

"Yep," Gabriel grinned. "This is Sam, Dean, and Castiel. They're not in the same circles, good students, morals, respectable and all that."

"Castiel?" one laughed. "Yeah I've heard of him. You're the fag, right?"

All at once, the table changed. Sam's face tightened and his lips pursed. Ash's face drained of color. Castiel grew red and stared at the checkered, letting his hands lay in fists on the black vinyl booth. Dean's face turned scarlet in anger and he gripped the table with one white-knuckled hand. The other gripped one of Castiel's fists. Gabriel looked frightened as his friend continued, "A buddy of mine told me you guys had a queer at the school. I couldn't believe it!"

Dean stood abruptly, face blazing in an explosive rage. Castiel brought his hand halfway up to Dean's wrist, half-concerned for Dean's reaction, but not wanting to stop him from telling off the leering guys. Since he had come out junior year, he had received many veiled insults. Despite his friends being wonderful and refusing to let anything make their friendship with Castiel awkward, he had experienced an endless slew of disguised slurs. He couldn't help but to let Dean have the chance to blow his top on one of them. Dean had become more protective of Castiel since he had told them, always ready to explode on the asshole who said wrong.

The older guys looked at Dean with a challenge. "What's your problem?"

"Don't talk to him like that." The response was quiet. The entire world seemed to stop just to watch the power match. Gabriel appeared on the verge of passing out, while Sam quivered on the edge of his seat, always ready to jump in on his brother's behalf.

"The fuck does it matter if I do?" Dean had slowly moved out of the booth and now they both stood almost chest to chest. Castiel moved to the edge of the booth.

Dean's eyes were dark and deadly, his body posture deceivingly calm. The only factor that hinted at his true anger was the clenched jaw behind the predatory smirk.

"Don't fuck with me."

The man who had originally spoken barked a laugh and motioned to his friends. "We were just leaving." He nodded to Gabriel and Ash before winking at Castiel. "Later, princess."

The table erupted. Gabriel stood up, ready to tell them to leave, but Dean was already catapulting himself. Castiel and Sam both flew in after him. Suddenly, patrons were shouting, cops being called, screaming waitresses, elbows flying, Gabriel and Ash pulling the six boys apart before being hit with a stray fist and falling back only to try again. It was chaos and blood and teenage boys and out of nowhere, Castiel had Dean by the collar and they all left the diner, leaving the college group to deal with management. They separated, Gabriel driving Ash, Dean driving Castiel, and Sam driving his dad's car since Dean had had practice after school. Neither in the Impala spoke for the first mile on the way to Castiel's.

"Dean."

"Dean, you shouldn't have jumped him. He was just some jerk. It didn't matter-"

"Yes, it did," Dean interrupted gruffly. Castiel peeked at him out of the corner of his eye.

"What made them different? Kids at school do it, it's no big deal." Dean was silent, focused on the road ahead.

"They're all dicks. They're all the same. They just… were there."

"It was stupid. You're bleeding," Castiel said. He reached over and wiped the blood from Dean's lip. Dean's breath caught as he tried to act natural.

"You should see the other guy," Dean tried. Castiel's face remained worried and guilty. "Look, Cas, I'm fine."

"You always are." Castiel smiled slightly and looked out the window.

Underneath his dark hair, Dean saw the rising bump on the back of his passenger's head and swallowed a lump in his throat. "Cas," he croaked. "You're hurt."

"I'm fine, Dean," Castiel laughed. Dean pulled into the driveway and reached over to Castiel's head.

Shaking his head, Dean announced, "Nope, you need ice."

Without waiting for a response, he turned off the Impala and stepped out to wait on Casiel. They entered the house silently to avoid waking up his parents and headed to the kitchen. Castiel leaned against the counter as Dean grabbed an ice pack and walked over to hold it to the injury.

There was silence for a moment. "I'm sorry I got you hurt."

"I'm sorry I sounded ungrateful in the car." More silence. Castiel moved his hand to the ice pack to take over for Dean. Dean didn't move his hands.

"I just hate that you get shit for it. I should have had more control."

Castiel shook his head and turned around to face him. Dean kept his hand on the ice, and so did Castiel. "You were just defending me. I really do appreciate that."

"I always have your back, Cas."

At this point, the only thing Dean could think to do was to just lean the inches needed to kiss Cas. He wanted to so badly, but he fought to keep still and his eyes focused on the other boy's. Neither moved or breathed or dared to blink as silence hung over them. A bump upstairs brought them back to life. Dean relinquished the ice pack and shoved his hands in his pockets.

"I should probably get home."

Castiel shifted his weight from one foot. "It's almost midnight. You could just stay and crash on the couch if you're tired."

Dean shook his head. "My dad's not home. He still has the rule about all hands on deck when he's out of town."

Castiel nodded. "Oh, okay. Well, be careful."

"Yeah." Dean shifted. Castiel scratched his temple. "Yeah."

Dean pulled away from the counter and the two walked to the front door. Castiel opened it for Dean, ice pack still on his head. "I'll see you tomorrow, Dean."

"Yeah." They both stood there, waiting for nothing.

"Thanks. Again. For the, uh, defense," Castiel stuttered. Dean nodded, focused on Castiel. Everything Castiel. He was so him and so blind and so everything, Dean thought he would explode. He couldn't think of anything, rational or otherwise. Without warning, he just leaned forward and touched his lips to his best friends', ever so lightly.

For a second, they stood there, eyes closed, lips soft and nervously still, hands in pockets and on an ice pack. Once they realized that neither was pulling back, it became more. Lips were moving in tandem, Castiel's right hand moving to rest on Dean's hip, Dean's joining Castiel's left on the ice bag. The shock of numbing cold did nothing to dissuade them and they just stood there and kissed until there was no air left in their bodies and they pulled only centimeters apart, foreheads together, and breathed, confused by what happened, confused by what would happen.

"Dean?" Castiel rasped. "What are we doing?"

"I'm sorry, I- I just-"

"Dean, did it mean anything?" Castiel's eyes were solid and demanding of an answer, the truth. He looked back and forth between Dean's eyes.

Dean answered, "I don't know. I want it to." He could feel heat in his face and ice in his heart as Castiel just looked into his eyes, giving nothing away.

"I do too."

"I don't know what to do from here."

"Neither do I." They both stood there, not moving, holding breaths and letting them out slowly.

Cas began again, "What do you want to do?" He knew he would do whatever Dean wanted. Just friends, more than friends. Anything that would keep him with Dean, even if it wasn't the full relationship he desired.

"I want you." Dean sucked in a breath. "I don't want the girls that ask me out, I haven't for a while."

Castiel nodded. "I want more than being friends."

"I do too."

"What should we do?"

Dean shook his head. "I don't know. Gabe and Ash and Sammy, they wouldn't care. Not really."

"Do you?"

It was a loaded question and Dean knew it. He fell silent for a minute. "I want to be happy. I'm just confused." He looked at Cas, begging him to understand.

Castiel nodded again. "I am too."

"Can we try?" Dean asked. "Can we just try and see if we should be together? We can go on or go back from there. I don't want to just… not."

"Yeah," Cas agreed. He smiled. "I'd like to try."

He leaned forward and pressed his lips to Dean's again. This time, they didn't hesitate, they just did what came naturally, moving their lips in a dance against each other. Stroking the back of Castiel's neck where small curls teased his neck. Rubbing Dean's hip with his thumb in small circles. They were all that mattered at that moment in time. They were all that were.

As Dean drove home that night, drunk on Cas, on the idea that he had a chance to just be, he ignored everyone else and what they may think, ignored everything he thought he was and just thought about how perfect it felt to hug Castiel goodbye. How it felt to kiss him goodnight and how it would feel to hold his hand. How much he wanted his chance. He swore not to let it fall without a fighting chance.


End file.
